New Delhi, 25 March (H.S.): India on Wednesday categorically dismissed Pakistan's statement defending a banned terrorist outfit and its members caught up in judicial proceedings here calling it a predictable outburst from a nation with deep ties to violence.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal responding to reporters questions said Pakistan's remarks which back a proscribed group amount to nothing less than justification for murder and chaos. He stressed that Islamabad has zero locus standi to comment on India's domestic affairs or courtroom decisions adding this is hardly surprising from a country long accused of nurturing terror networks across borders.

Instead of peddling falsehoods and distortions Jaiswal advised Pakistan to look inward at its own record of grave systematic human rights abuses from enforced disappearances to minority persecution. The sharp rebuttal underscores New Delhis unwavering stance against external meddling especially from a rival that has faced global scrutiny for state-sponsored militancy.

The episode traces to a Delhi courts ruling on Tuesday when a judge under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act sentenced Kashmiri separatist leader Asiya Andrabi to life imprisonment alongside 30-year terms for aides Fahmeeda Sofi and Nahida Naseem. Pakistan's Foreign Office swiftly condemned the verdicts triggering India's forceful pushback today.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar